Composer Danny Elfman is set to embark on an ambitious North American tour in Fall 2026, promising a performance that defies easy categorization. The tour, which runs from September 9 through November 14, will feature a diverse setlist encompassing his iconic film scores, material from his time with the new wave band Oingo Boingo, and his solo heavy metal work.
"My live shows are going to be a mishmash of things," Elfman told The New York Post. "A collage that make absolutely no sense being put together on the same stage. But there it is. That’s me."
Fans can expect a performance that mixes his past, present, and future work. "Of course, my audience knows the old stuff and wants to hear it. So I try to combine my past, my present and my future all mixed together," he explained. The visual presentation is also intended to be a "crazy collage of elements and styles that do not have a single uniform aesthetic to them."
The tour includes stops at venues such as the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MGM Music Hall in Boston, and The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland. A notable date is scheduled for September 15 at SummerStage in New York City's Central Park.
Elfman will also be a featured performer at several music festivals. He is slated to appear at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky (September 17-20), Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Georgia (September 18-20), and Aftershock in Sacramento, California (October 1-4).
Other festival headliners include Iron Maiden, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, Tool, and Pantera at Louder Than Life; The Strokes, Twenty One Pilots, Gorillaz, and Wu-Tang Clan at Shaky Knees; and My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, and Tool at Aftershock.
Beyond his touring and festival appearances, Elfman is nearing completion of a new album, due out early next year, and an accompanying hour-long album film. He described the album as an exploration of contrasting creative impulses, with songs featuring more synthesizers and space, reflecting a balance between his "fun and crazy" and "personal and thoughtful" writing styles.
Elfman, who gained initial recognition as the frontman for Oingo Boingo and later as a prolific film composer for works like "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman," and "Spider-Man," also touched on his diverse musical experiences. He recalled performing at heavy metal festivals, noting the audience's eclectic tastes. He also spoke about his collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky on "Saturday Night Live," describing it as a fun, albeit slightly hazardous, experience where he narrowly avoided injury.
Regarding his creative process, Elfman noted that it has remained consistent over his decades-long career. "It’s hard for me to track my own evolution. It’s weirdly exactly the same as it was 40 years ago," he said. He described the initial moments of composition as reaching into the unknown, often accompanied by composer's insecurity, but he strives to create scores that are unique to each film. He expressed admiration for his collaborations with directors like Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant.
Elfman also mentioned unreleased projects he hopes to finish, including a couple of screenplays and a children's music album. He also shared his eclectic musical tastes, listing Nine Inch Nails, Tool, System of a Down, A$AP Rocky, and Guns N' Roses as artists he enjoys seeing live, noting that Slash is involved in his upcoming album film.